Mark Lammey
Show Bio
It’s been an incredible summer of MLB action, the start of the NFL season and of course the offseason moves of the NHL. The puck drops on October 7th for the start of the regular season, which means it’s time to predict which teams should lead the way. There were quite a few big names that moved homes from where they were last year and that affected the odds on which teams should win their respective divisions. We’ve broken down each of them for you in time for the start of the regular season. Along with these NHL divisional predictions, be sure to check out all of our NHL analysis for the 2022-2023 season.
Let’s take a closer look at my favorite plays for each NHL division.
Atlantic Division winner: Florida Panthers (+230)
*Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook*
Let’s get things started in the Eastern Conference with what is arguably the most top-heavy division. It truly does feel like a clear talent gap between the top 4 teams and the bottom 4 teams. One of the teams that is sure to jump off the page is the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 2 of the past 3 seasons, they have not won the division since the 2018-2019 season.
Instead, we’re going to go with the Florida Panthers, who we also discuss in our Stanley Cup winner breakdown which you can check out here. They’re last season’s President’s Trophy winner for the league’s best record, yet they aren’t even the favorites to win the Atlantic. They’re just behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have yet to prove they can put it together with their lackluster goaltending. On the other hand, Florida has the ability to outscore any opponent and added former-Flame Matthew Tkachuk in the offseason. He brings more defensive talent to the mix that they weren’t getting from Jonathan Huberdeau. With a new defensive-minded head coach, they should have a more balanced attack this season.
Other top teams in the Atlantic: Maple Leafs (+170), Lightning (+300), Bruins (+1100)
Metropolitan Division winner: Carolina Hurricanes (+200)
*Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook*
When it comes to the Metro Division, we are indeed going to target the favorites. The Carolina Hurricanes were rivaling the Panthers for the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season and still seem to be the most complete team in the division. It’s hard to trust an aging Penguins team that may be past their window, a Rangers team that may be set for some regression and a Capitals team that continues to cycle through goaltenders.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes aren’t going anywhere as they are led by 2 up-and-coming superstars – 22-year-old Andrei Svechnikov and 25-year-old Sebastian Aho. That duo was joined by one of the biggest goal-scoring names in the league this offseason, Max Pacioretty. He came over from the Vegas Golden Knights virtually for free. He’s still going to start the year rehabbing from injury, but he’s too elite of a talent to ignore his impact as the season moves along. The Hurricanes already proved they can get on without him as they also have one of the top goaltenders in Frederik Andersen. Had he not gotten injured towards the end of the season, the Hurricanes may have made a deeper postseason run.
Other top teams in the Metro: Penguins (+320), Rangers (+350), Capitals (+600)
Central Division winner: Minnesota Wild (+320)
*Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook*
Full disclosure when it comes to this play, it is very difficult to bet against the defending-champion Avalanche to repeat as division-winners. However, they are the only team without plus-money odds as they are currently listed at -150. They will likely win the Central Division, but we also want to provide you with why there is value in other teams in the division, like the Minnesota Wild.
They were a lot of experts’ dark horses to make it to the Stanley Cup finals last season, but obviously fell short. Despite that, they still have the pieces to put together another great year. First and foremost, they have an excellent goaltending duo after trading for 2021 Vezina Trophy-winner for best goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury. Along with Cam Talbot who made the all-star team last season, they have depth at the most important position. They also can feel confident between the pipes knowing that they will be given the support they need from their goal-scorers. The Wild were the 5th-highest scoring team in the NHL last season, led by a potential future face-of-the-league, Kirill Kaprizov. The 25-year-old had the 5th-most points in the league last season, ahead of guys like Auston Matthews and Steven Stamkos. Eclipsing the Avalanche is a tall task, but the pieces are there in Minnesota
Other top teams in the Central: Avalanche (-150), Predators (+1000), Stars (+1100)
Pacific Division winner: Edmonton Oilers (+220)
*Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook*
Let’s wrap things up with arguably the most interesting division to handicap. The Calgary Flames are the current favorites, but it’s hard to be confident in that play with who they lost this offseason. Both Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk left for new teams this summer, who were 2 of the top-6 point-scorers last season.
They added Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau, but we’ve yet to see how they’ll fit in. However, we know exactly what we’re getting in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. To say they’re a dynamic duo is a severe understatement. They were the 1st and 4th-highest point-scorers, respectively, and no one doubts how incredibly potent the Oilers’ offense can be. They were able to re-sign former Shark Evander Kane who makes them a triple threat and was a primary reason for them making the Western Conference finals last season. Their biggest criticism has been their goaltending. They brought in former-Leaf Jack Campbell this offseason to work in tandem with Mikko Koskinen. This feels like it could finally be the year Edmonton lives up to their fans’ expectations.
Other top teams in the Pacific: Flames (+205), Golden Knights (+475), Kings (+500)
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